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this post was submitted on 03 Nov 2023
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Those are some nice platitudes, and having rights is important, but the government isn't going to protect you if someone is trying to murder you for being trans. You're going to have to live through that situation before you can do anything else. That might mean using violence to defend yourself, it might not, but when you're especially likely to be a target of violence it's better to be prepared for that outcome.
That preparation could be a weapon, it could be a plan, it could be anonymity or a fortified home. But whatever it is, if you have something to go on when that moment comes you'll be a lot better off than trying to think on your feet.
The rule of law is largely a fucking joke that serves the powerful and protects the status quo. There may be times when it serves a purpose that's actually positive, but it's not going to protect you in the face of a dangerous reality.
If you think the law can bodily protect you, go wander into traffic in a crosswalk without looking. The law should prevent any vehicles from hitting you, no?
The fact that murdering trans women is generally illegal isn't sufficient to protect us when someone tries to kill us. We have to be ready for that ourselves.
Ew, who said anything about being a libertarian?
You're putting words in my mouth. I'd suggest reading it back over with fresh eyes and trying not to make these assumptions.
@raccoona_nongrata @millie no one in a free country should need a gun to be themselves
I'm genuinely curious where you are referring to, that you believe trans people are actually legitimately free of the threat of violence against them. If you're in California, you're mostly free from governmental violence by the California state government itself (unless you happen to run into a transphobic cop), but that doesn't insulate you from federal laws that target you. And you're certainly not safe from individual bigots any moreso than in other states.
You keep talking about Libertarianism, but I don't know where you are getting the impression that any of us here are Libertarian. Are you just using that as a catch-all term to mean "skeptical of governments and systems of authority"? Libertarianism doesn't work because of its focus on Individualism, and everyone's supposed 'right' to exist apart and separate from each other (except when Libertarians want others to be forced to do something). Libertarians don't want a society, they want to be provided-for, but also to have no responsibility to the people doing the providing.
There are many OTHER political philosophies, however, many of which reject systems of authority, but embrace community, social responsibility, interdependence, and civic engagement. And in which people can choose to participate in those societies rather than being forced to simply because of where they're born.
You think no black people ever defended themselves against a white person trying to murder them by being armed? It isn't about changing the entire world at the barrel of a gun, it's about "not dying right now in this home invasion or assault with a deadly weapon." When someone is actively trying to stab, beat, shoot, etc, you, you can worry about voting when the ballots open, worry about court cases after this situation, currently you should be worrying about "stopping the threat to your life," so you can live long enough to make it to court or the ballot box. You seem to have a fundimental misunderstanding of what self defense is.
As a European, I say it should. Like, one of the things I really want a government to do as a bare minimum, is to prevent people from murdering each other.
Independently of any personal preparations.